STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4965
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 14, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to waiving the state
application fee for all civil service examinations for all veterans
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of the civil
2 service law, as amended by section 1 of part EE of chapter 55 of the
3 laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
4 (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
5 sion, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the
6 director of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the approval
7 of the governing board or body of the city or county, as the case may
8 be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to govern-
9 mental agreement, may elect to waive application fees, or to abolish
10 fees for specific classes of positions or types of examinations or
11 candidates, or to establish a uniform schedule of reasonable fees
12 different from those prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision,
13 specifying in such schedule the classes of positions or types of exam-
14 inations or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided, howev-
15 er, that fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state
16 civil service department, a municipal commission or a regional commis-
17 sion that they are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support
18 of a household, or are receiving public assistance. Provided further,
19 the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee
20 for all examinations [for original appointment] for all veterans.
21 Provided further, the state civil service department shall, and a munic-
22 ipal commission may, subject to the approval of the governing board or
23 body of the city or county, as the case may be, or a regional commission
24 or personnel officer, pursuant to governmental agreement, waive applica-
25 tion fees for all examinations held between July first, two thousand
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09061-01-5
S. 4965 2
1 twenty-three and December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five.
2 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of this
3 section, the term "veteran" shall mean a person who has served in the
4 armed forces of the United States or the reserves thereof, or in the
5 army national guard, air national guard, New York guard, or the New York
6 naval militia, and who (1) has been honorably discharged or released
7 from such service under honorable conditions, or (2) has a qualifying
8 condition, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and
9 has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from
10 such service, or (3) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section
11 one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other
12 than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service. The term "armed
13 forces" shall mean the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and coast
14 guard.
15 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of the civil
16 service law, as amended by section 35 of part PP of chapter 56 of the
17 laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
18 (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivi-
19 sion, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the
20 director of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the approval
21 of the governing board or body of the city or county, as the case may
22 be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to govern-
23 mental agreement, may elect to waive application fees, or to abolish
24 fees for specific classes of positions or types of examinations or
25 candidates, or to establish a uniform schedule of reasonable fees
26 different from those prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision,
27 specifying in such schedule the classes of positions or types of exam-
28 inations or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided, howev-
29 er, that fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state
30 civil service department, a municipal commission or a regional commis-
31 sion that they are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support
32 of a household, or are receiving public assistance. Provided further,
33 the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee
34 for all examinations [for original appointment] for all veterans.
35 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of this
36 section, the term "veteran" shall mean a person who has served in the
37 armed forces of the United States or the reserves thereof, or in the
38 army national guard, air national guard, New York guard, or the New York
39 naval militia, and who (1) has been honorably discharged or released
40 from such service under honorable conditions, or (2) has a qualifying
41 condition, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and
42 has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from
43 such service, or (3) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section
44 one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other
45 than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service. The term "armed
46 forces" shall mean the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and coast
47 guard.
48 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
49 the amendments to paragraph (b) of subdivision 5 of section 50 of the
50 civil service law, made by section one of this act shall be subject to
51 the expiration and reversion of such paragraph pursuant to section 2 of
52 part EE of chapter 55 of the laws of 2023, when upon such date section
53 two of this act shall take effect.
